Statement of the Newton School Committee on David Fleishman's speeches

Thursday

Jul 24, 2014 at 5:02 PMJul 29, 2014 at 1:59 PM

The Newton School Committee has discussed the recent issue regarding Superintendent Fleishman's high school graduation speeches. We have accepted the Superintendent's acknowledgment to us and have determined that the appropriate action is that he be fined one week of salary.

The Newton School Committee has discussed the recent issue regarding Superintendent Fleishman’s high school graduation speeches. We have accepted the Superintendent’s acknowledgment to us and have determined that the appropriate action is that he be fined one week of salary.

We first became aware of the issue on June 27. The School Committee and its Chair had several calls and meetings with the Superintendent and met in Executive Session in June and July. We agreed with Superintendent Fleishman’s acknowledgment as to what, in retrospect, he should have done, and we determined an appropriate action.

David Fleishman has had a strong career as an educational leader, and we have seen exceptional growth and progress in our schools during his four years as Newton’s superintendent. We are eager to move forward with David as the superintendent of the Newton Public Schools, and we look forward to many more years of working together. We have many important opportunities and serious challenges ahead, and we are confident that David is the right leader to continue moving our system forward.